Topic: Betty Friedan

Girl Scouts under scrutiny from Catholic bishops

Conservative criticism of alleged Girl Scouts policy on sexuality, birth control, and abortion pulls the organization back into the culture wars with an investigation by Catholic bishops. It's not the first time the girls have been caught in political crossfire.

Barnard College flap: Competition among women shouldn't be over men

Columbia University women are outraged that Obama will deliver the commencement address at Barnard College, the neighboring women's school. Some accuse Barnard women of wanting to bed and wed 'their' Columbia men. Why do women still define themselves in terms of men?

Interview with Stephanie Staal, author of "Reading Women"

Feminist texts that had seemed energizing when Stephanie Staal read them as a college student held a completely different message when she approached them as a mother.

Why feminism has been good for romance

Stephanie Coontz, author of "A Strange Stirring," reminds women and men why both should be celebrating feminism this Valentine's Day.

Sarah Palin's heroes – and antiheroes

Sarah Palin's new book, "America By Heart: Reflections on Family, Faith, and Flag," includes numerous references to Americans – and occasionally non-Americans – of whom she approves. Many of Palin's choices are not surprising (Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, Thomas Jefferson) while others (Judd Aptow, Simon Cowell, Elvis Presley) are. Often, Palin praises one figure by disparaging another. Taken together, her likes and dislikes offer a quick recap of her worldview.

Secrets of Powerful Women

Advice for young women: Make friends. Share praise. Wear red.

When Everything Changed

American women have traveled a long road since the 1960s.

How to overwinter tropical water plants

Classic review: The Beauty Myth

When society focuses too tightly on feminine beauty, it's not a pretty story for women.

Ties to earlier generations

An apron evokes comfort and simpler days of the past.

Promised Land

Works that reflect America's aims and desires.

The Witches of Eastwick (From the Monitor archives: a reprint of a 1984 review)

Ready for my armload of books

A flood destroyed her beloved town library. But now there's a plan to rebuild.

Cedar Rapids: waiting for our new library

Sarah Palin can have it all

I should know. I'm a writer and the mother of 12.

Solzhenitsyn and piercing pens

The literary dissident rightly observed the power of the pen to 'defeat lies.'